Blues’ players reported back for pre-season training today and will be preparing themselves for a gruelling training regime to get themselves into shape before the start of the 2010/11 Premier League campaign.

And recalling his own memories as a professional footballer, Devlin knows it will be a far from enjoyable experience for Big Eck’s boys.

While accepting the importance of the occasion, the former striker admits it’s the time of year every pro hates and recalls his toughest coming during a week with the Royal Marines while at Notts County.

“You can guarantee that every player there to a man will be hating it, it’s as simple as that,” said Devlin, who has just set up a fitness business, Xpro Training Ltd, with former Villa man Steve Froggatt.

“In the football calendar, pre-season is the worst part of the year because you know you’re going to be absolutely running your heart out for five or six weeks with no game at the end of it, it’s just a horrible time. Unfortunately there’s no way around it.

“For the 15 years I was a pro I tried everything to get fit without a hard pre-season, but it is vitally important. I never missed a pre-season and I was always quite fit.

“You find that the lads that do miss the pre-season for whatever reason never catch it up throughout the course of the season. It’s a vitally important stage that also on the flip side is the least enjoyable stage for every player. I’d be amazed if you found any player at any club that looks forward to pre-season.

“It’s a mixture of dread and excitement. You’re excited that you’re going back and you know you’re looking down the barrel of the season starting in a couple of months.

“But it’s dread to think: ‘oh no, I could quite easily be throwing up within the next few weeks’ because you’re working that hard.

“It’s a hard time, I dare say they’ll be in mornings and evenings as well so it’s an extremely tiring month to five weeks.”

Meanwhile, sources abroad are indicating that Ghana World Cup star Andre Ayew could be a target for Blues.

The son of African football legend Abedi Pele, the 20-year-old winger currently plays for Marseille but has spent recent seasons on loan to Lorient and AC Arles-Avignon.

Marseille are believed to have put a price tag of £5.5 million on Ayew.